AC Installation in Pullman, WA
A new air conditioner in Pullman will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Whitman County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, then the season ends
Pullman only asks for cooling in July and August. Summer afternoons average 82°F, warm enough that a house needs a working air conditioner, but the season is short. A new system here spends most of the year idle and a couple months earning its keep.
Whitman County has seen its share of hail and wind over the past ten years, five hail events and 27 damaging wind events since 2015, with hail up to 1.5 inches. An outdoor condenser sits exposed to that, so how it's installed and protected matters as much as the unit itself. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so that baseline is already covered.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 5 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 13.4 SEER2
- the federal minimum any new unit must meet
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A higher-efficiency unit would save about $30 a year to run in Whitman County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Whitman County home, from EIA household energy data, Washington fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Washington requires contractors to register with the state.
Washington's registration puts the contractor's business on file with the Department of Labor and Industries. It is not a license. There is no trade exam behind it, so the number tells you the business is on record, not that anyone checked how they size or install a condenser.
For an air conditioner installation, the checking comes from the local building office instead. Most cities and counties in Washington require a permit for this job and an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what actually looks at the installation. The registration does not.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- It depends on your home's square footage, insulation, window area, and layout, not just a rule of thumb. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so rooms feel clammy. A contractor sizes it with a load calculation that looks at your actual house, not a chart based on square feet alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your furnace or air handler is old, replacing only the outdoor unit can cause problems. The outdoor unit and the indoor coil are matched to work together, and pairing new with old can mean poor performance or an early failure. A contractor can check the age and condition of the indoor unit and tell you whether it can pair with a new outdoor unit or if both need to go.
- Do HVAC contractors in Pullman need a state license to work on my home?
- Washington does not issue a trade license for HVAC work. Contractors are required to register with the Department of Labor and Industries. That registration is a business record, not a test of skill. What matters more day to day is the permit. Installing a new air conditioner in most cities and counties requires a permit from the local building office and an inspection once the work is done.